Lando Norris says predictions that McLaren may have a transparent benefit this season are “short-sighted” and that he believes Ferrari will shock with its tempo on the Australian Grand Prix.
McLaren’s pre-season testing exhibiting was spectacular, with rival groups pointing to a particularly sturdy race run from Norris as proof the winners of final yr’s constructors’ championship would be the crew to beat in 2025. Nonetheless, Norris says there have been different indicators throughout testing that the sphere will stay extraordinarily shut on the entrance, suggesting Ferrari was hiding extra tempo than its rivals.
“I do know there’s a number of expectation and it’s what everybody says,” Norris mentioned. “It was simply my one race run I did that type of simply made everybody imagine this fairly closely. It was a superb race run but it surely was additionally in essentially the most excellent circumstances. Oscar [Piastri] did a race run the subsequent day that was lots slower. Not as a result of he drove worse however just because the circumstances on the ultimate day had been significantly slower.
“So I’m fairly stunned so many individuals are so short-sighted, particularly individuals you wouldn’t anticipate to be, making so many conclusions earlier than you even begin the season. However everybody simply desires to play that recreation of wanting just like the underdog and enjoying it down.
“We simply give attention to ourselves and it’s good that so many individuals are fascinated with us and speaking about us. Nice publicity for us so I thank all of them. But it surely makes no distinction: If I’m going out this weekend and do a nasty job, who cares what individuals have mentioned previously?
“So I don’t imagine it. I really feel like we’re in the same enjoying subject to the highest different three groups — I nonetheless assume it’s us high 4. However there are various issues that different individuals didn’t see. The place different individuals appeared extraordinarily sturdy. Together with Purple Bull, together with Mercedes, together with Ferrari, and I understand how a lot gas and stuff Ferrari had for lots of the testing, and also you’d be stunned at how fast they’re going to be this weekend…
“Individuals can discuss what they need. I feel for us we’ve saved to ourselves, we saved centered. We need to be fast, we anticipate to be up there preventing, however I positively don’t assume by the margin that everybody’s saying.”
Norris says he’s eager to check himself in opposition to a number of totally different threats this season, after being self-critical about the best way he approached quite a lot of incidents with Max Verstappen final yr.
“I’m simply excited to have one other crack at it and see what I can do and go up in opposition to any driver,” he mentioned. “I don’t assume I’m simply going to be racing in opposition to Max this yr. I feel it’s going to be Charles [Leclerc] and Lewis [Hamilton].
“It’s going to be Oscar. It’s going to be each Purple Bull drivers and Mercedes drivers too. So I look ahead to the entire battles. And naturally, the extra wars that may be on monitor between others, the higher for us. However I don’t anticipate that to occur an excessive amount of.
“I feel Lewis will nonetheless take a while to settle in. That doesn’t imply he received’t be fast from the start, however there’s all the time issues within the first few races, particularly if you change groups and also you’ve been with one crew for such a very long time, it takes a little bit of time to get going. However I’m certain Lewis is aware of what these issues are and he’ll iron them out as rapidly as he can.”
